


The Tale of Parting Ways

by his-spare-hats (JesterFesta)



Series: Tales that remained untold [9]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Ardyn in the dungeons, M/M, They deserved better, i got SAD writing this, it's cold and dark, mentions of Somnus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-11
Updated: 2018-10-11
Packaged: 2019-07-29 11:47:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16263584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JesterFesta/pseuds/his-spare-hats
Summary: Ardyn is in his own dark cell, put there by his brother and hopeless. He has to flee. But then an unexpected visitor appears.





	The Tale of Parting Ways

**Author's Note:**

> This is Day 4 of Gilgardyn week 2018! "Ardyn is exiled and Gilgamesh is allowed to visit him one last time."   
> Well, we don't know if he's exiled here but let's think it.  
> I really love how emotional this turned out and hope you can feel it too! Enjoy~
> 
> This is the prequel to The Tale of Indifference.

It was dark. Yet it didn't even feel half as frightening as it would have been to any normal person. Ardyn would rather say the darkness of his cell embraced him like it had been waiting for a long time. The more seconds, minutes, hours went by the more he doubted that he would ever want to leave this dark place. It had something welcoming to it.

“Not like anyone would want me back in the light anyway.” Ardyn chuckled to himself digging his fingers into the flowery scarf as if to numb the pain raging in his chest. _You are as sick as can be, it is only a matter of time now until you vanish,_ Somnus' words rang in his ears, echoed from the confined space of his cell. _Our King has become nothing but a jester._

A jester. Nothing but a laughing stock. He was glad it was dark in his cell. He felt safer for nobody would catch a glimpse of the monster inside. Nobody but him would have to know all about it.

But oh, how he longed to delay his dying day for even just a little bit. _I have to leave._ He had to flee. He had to-

The creaking of a heavy wooden door interrupted his thoughts and the light of a flame blinded him, made him turn away and pull his hat deeper into his face. _Take this hat so you're always reminded of me!_ He didn't want to think of Somnus anymore. Still the light was just too bright. Ardyn chose to rely on his ears, hat covering his eyes and fingers hidden in the scarf. Heavy steps. Slow and heavy, familiar steps.

_Gil_.

The pain lessened for a moment only to flare up even stronger than before. He wanted to understand him. Wanted to hate him. Wanted to tell him it was all his fault. But was it?

Was it not his own? That he kept healing again and again foolishly thinking it was the Gods' will?

Or was it the Gods' for not interfering when everything went wrong? Yes, it had to be the Gods' fault. Ardyn could never blame his friend – his one friend of many years – for something he had tried to prevent so bad before. Gilgamesh had done nothing but protect him all this time, had he not? Even now he was standing there, somewhere by the strong iron bars. Ardyn could not remember having heard directly from the Gods before.

“You should not be here”, Ardyn mumbled through layers and layers of fabric when nothing else happened for a while. _It's the Gods' fault._

“Neither should you.”

He could hear how Gilgamesh went to the far back of the empty cells placing the blinding torch in the holder. Ardyn opened his eyes to find that the light had grown much dimmer with distance and as Gilgamesh returned and knelt before the iron keeping them apart his body moved closer on its own. Bridging the distance with hasty movements to reach out and touch him, feel that he was really there. His eyes accustomed to the unfamiliar light to find sadness in his Shield's eyes. Sadness and suffocating sorrow, panic, worry...fear. He hoped it wasn't the fear of the monster his friend had become.

They couldn't change their fate, it was impossible. Ardyn forced himself to lean back, away from the dark hands trying to catch his. “You have seen what I have become. Knew it all along. This is where I belong, Gil.”

“But that's not _you_ , Ardyn. It's the proof of your hard work. It's the price you paid, a mere sacrifice-”

“Sacrifice? No, you don't understand. _I_ am the sacrifice. All this-” He gestured towards himself. “-is a part of me now. The price I pay is no less than my existence.”

The emotional turmoil of his eyes spread over Gilgamesh's face at once and he clutched at the iron bars with trembling fingers. “This is all my fault. I was scared and I-I didn't do anything until it was too late and...”

_Maybe he's right._ “No, the fault is not yours”, Ardyn drowned the bitter thought in a hurry. He had never seen him this troubled it was hard to find words that could calm him down. For the first time in all those years, Ardyn was at a loss for words.  _It's because you are disappointed._ No, what were these thoughts? Ardyn tore at his hair trying to regain his focus. His eyes fell on the gray and black scarf, fingers tracing the flower pattern he had loved so much during cold nights.  _These flowers won't wither._ But Ardyn would. He didn't have much time until he would no longer be who he had been, he could feel it – it was hard not to.

Again his hands reached out, touching the warm skin of his Shield and marveling at the difference of brightness. As if Ardyn wore his darkness on the inside whereas Gilgamesh showed it to everyone. And yet Ardyn was the monster. How unfair. Gilgamesh wasted no time and placed a palm against his cheek, thumb caressing the skin still sore from long dried tears.

And Ardyn admitted that he was scared. “What will Somnus do?”, he asked not daring to raise his voice above a whisper. “Erase me from history?”

Gilgamesh shook his head, a small but determined movement. “I will never let him.”

“It's _Somnus_ , Gil, he always finds a way. I taught him well.” A bitter laugh escaped Ardyn's lips that soon became but a sigh when he leaned into the warm touch of Gilgamesh's lingering hand.

“To refuse shall be my trial, then.”

_What a wreck you are, Ardyn._ “That's a tawdry thing for you to say, softy”, he tried to lighten the mood but this was no time for jests.  _A jester. Maybe Somnus was right._

“That's a carefree thing for you to say, convict.” Oh, how true these words were. “We just need a moment to think. It always worked out before, the two of us-”

“Gil, no.” Ardyn could not let the man endanger himself. Not for him, the shadow of a once much loved man. No, he could not let this happen. “Don't interfere with this or you-”

“Ardyn, it is my duty as your Shield to-”

“ _I told you not to interfere!_ ” Ardyn mirrored Gilgamesh's wide-eyed expression, surprised by his own outburst. He had never shouted at him like that. _All you do is destroy anyway. What good is a healer if he cannot heal anymore?_ He sighed. “I don't want your help.” He didn't want to imagine what would happen to the other if he was caught helping the fallen healer. The convict. The danger to all of his very own people. The quiet voice returned. _He could betray you again._

Ardyn stared at the broken Shield in front of him. He couldn't allow him to keep being like this. He had to let go. They both had to. _And I have to get out of here._

“Gilgamesh-” The full name felt foreign on his tongue, almost forgotten over the years of familiarity. “I want you to go to your master now.”

The other's brows knit into a frown, confused, not understanding, unwilling to go. “How can I go when you are right here and-”

“A monster will go around. Tonight. I would never live it down if S-...if the...the future King were to die in young years. It might get out of hand.”

Gilgamesh's eyes lit up with something like understanding only to turn into confusion again. “Ardyn, what do you mean, what are you going to-”

“I relieve you from your duty. You are no longer connected to me as I am no longer a member of the royal family for it is time for me to shake off that name and act on my own.” He tried hard to keep his voice steady, tears threatening to spill over when he withdrew from Gilgamesh's touch and retreated to the back of his cell. “A monster may pose a threat to the people and neither will you be _here_ when it appears nor will you leave the future King unprotected. This is my last order for you as my Shield.”

The other stuck his arm through the iron bars trying to reach for Ardyn but it was futile. “You...You cannot-”

“Go. Please, Gil, just go.”

Another moment passed, seconds of nothing but the silence of disbelief and eyes speaking volumes. Gilgamesh hesitated, wanting to fight for his own opinion when he knew Ardyn knew best. In the end, he always did. He knelt, then bowed, forehead touching the cold stone ground. “I shall wait for the monster then.”

The time of their parting had come sooner than both of them had wished, ripping them apart when Gilgamesh rose to collect the torch and leave. _He shall wait for the monster then._ Ardyn curled his hands into fists as he watched the back of the retreating figure.

An umbrella in the rain. Petals swaying in the wind. The feather of a black chocobo. A scarf, soft and warm.

Ardyn pressed his lips together and took a deep breath. This was not the time to get sentimental. He shut his eyes until the door closed with a loud clunk and only when he could be sure there was nothing but darkness did he open the amber eyes again, glowing like a flame in the dark.

The time had come.

“Shall we evoke the monster, then?”

 


End file.
